[The following devotional is a part of our 2014 Advent Devotional Guide.  We will be posting a devotional each day on this blog between November 30 – December 31, 2014.]

 

Life and Light by Mark Robinson

Read: John 1:4-5

Have you ever noticed how often things break?  You get a new toy for your birthday and it is your favorite – for a while.  But after just a few weeks, an arm breaks off your action figure, a eye needs to be sewn back on the doll, or the batteries need replacing.  Things in this world just don’t last as long as we would like.  This includes even people.  All of us have experienced the sorrow of seeing a loved one die.  In this world most everything is broken and dying.

But . . . at Christmas time, we celebrate life not death.  At Christmas time, we celebrate light and not darkness.  Why?  Because of Jesus.

As we saw in John 1:4-5, Jesus came as a giver of life, not a dispenser of death.  The Bible tells us that one day Jesus will return to the earth again and set up a kingdom that will never end, filled with people who are eternally alive, and inhabiting a world that is protected from decay.  Why?  Because “In Him was life.”  Additionally, Jesus was a light in this dark world that would never be “overcome.”  That means He would never break or be extinguished.  We have a living and bright future because of Jesus.

So to all of us who are living in a dying and broken world, there is good news of great joy this (and every) Christmas season.  Jesus birth brought Life and Light into the world, giving us something different than the rest of this world can offer.  Faith in Christ is more than a decision to follow a new religion. . . it is a step out of your dying and broken destiny into an eternally living and luminous future.

Questions:

• How often does something break around your house?

• How does hearing that Jesus brings light and life encourage you?

Advent Prayer:

• Praise God for the life and light that Jesus has brought into the world!

[The following devotional is a part of our 2014 Advent Devotional Guide.  We will be posting a devotional each day on this blog between November 30 – December 31, 2014.]

In the Beginning by Mark Robinson

Read:  John 1:1-3

Look around you right now.  Everything you see had a beginning.  If you are in your living room at home, you might see a TV that was built in 2011, a newspaper that was printed last night, furniture that was constructed three decades ago . . . even the house you are sitting in was built in a certain year!  Everything around you had a beginning – even you have a birthday!

In John 1, a very interesting time is described.  John 1 describes the time known as “the beginning.”  “The beginning” is the time before anything was created.  If you could somehow journey back in time, to the beginning and look around, you would see . . . NOTHING.  There were no trees, no houses, no people, and no animals in the beginning.  They had not yet been created.  Though there were no “things” in the beginning, there was Someone.  John 1 tells us that in the beginning, the “Word” was there.

The “Word” in John 1 is describing Jesus.  John calls Jesus the “Word” because Jesus brings to life for us who God is and what He is like.  As words (like the ones on this page) help us understand the ideas created by their author, so Jesus helps us understand God.  By looking at the way Jesus treated others, we can understand how God feels about us.

John 1 lets us know that Jesus existed long before His birth in Bethlehem!  His birth did not begin His life (He was around at the beginning), but was simply His arrival in this world.  He arrived at Bethlehem in order to help us understand God more fully.  If Jesus had not been born, we would not know so many things about God.  I am thankful that the “Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14)” so that we might know Him.

Question

• What are some things that you know about God by looking at the life of Jesus?

Advent Prayer

• Focus your eyes on the beauty of Jesus being born into the world so that we might know God!

[The following devotional was written by Wildwood Community Church Student Pastor Jonathan Holmes and is a part of our 2014 Advent Devotional Guide.  We will be posting a devotional each day on this blog between November 30 – December 31, 2014.]

 

Batteries Not Included by Jonathan Holmes

Read:  Ephesians 2:8-9

Picture yourself in a couple of weeks opening your presents and you come to your last one — and you realize that this is your favorite. This is the one you had asked for as you sat on Santa’s lap a few weeks earlier.

After the tearing ceremony is over, you go to open the box and you realize that it says in the smallest unreadable writing, “Batteries not included.” Your parents scramble to no avail and you are left with your favorite new dead toy.

Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever found yourself so excited for something, but then come to realize it’s not complete? Like you opened a gift, but found out that not everything is included. I am afraid that you have had this same experience with the gift of salvation. That when you received salvation and you started to read Scripture, you came to the interpretation that the gift of salvation has written on the side, “Faith not included.” That we are responsible for the means of our salvation that empowers salvation. Some believe that just like the toy needs batteries to enable it to be alive and moving, we too must supply the faith that enables salvation.

When reading this passage, you get to the end of v. 8 “this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God.” and you have to ask, “What is the this referring to?” This is where a lot of people would emphatically say, “Grace!” but is that  all? The word “this” is not referring to just grace, but rather it is referring to the concept of salvation, which is laid out in the preceding section (Ephesians 2:4-7). The basis of our salvation (grace) and the means of our salvation (faith) is all included in the gift of God.

If you see “Faith not included.” on the side of the gift of salvation, then you believe in a works based salvation. “The gift of salvation is dead… it has no efficacy… it cannot do what it is intended to do, unless you add faith to it.” How can you even consider this? Are you missing the second half of our passage Ephesians 2:9?

We must stop viewing the gift of salvation as not enough. We must stop seeing salvation as a free gift with an asterisk that says “faith not included.” If faith is not given to us by God, then we are surely destined for failure. Sure for a while you might feel like you can buckle your bootstraps and muster up enough faith in Jesus Christ that you can be saved, but sooner or later you will see that you have tried to empower the gospel through your own false works (faith).

Just as the Disciples called Jesus teacher, but obviously did not understand the authority of His teaching (Mark 4:35-41); we too should not call Jesus Savior and not truly understand God’s self-sufficiency in our salvation.

Check the side of the box. It can only say “Faith included!”

Question

• In what way is faith a gift from God as well?

Advent Prayers

• Thank God for providing everything for you.

• Praise the Father for being the gracious provider for your salvation in His Son.

[The following devotional was written by Wildwood Community Church Student Pastor Jonathan Holmes and is a part of our 2014 Advent Devotional Guide.  We will be posting a devotional each day on this blog between November 30 – December 31, 2014.]

 

The Light of Jesus by Jonathan Holmes

Read:  Philippians 2:5-11

Paul in his letter to the Philippians talks about the model of Jesus’ attitude, humility and obedience. He speaks of how the incredible act of Jesus, the incarnation (His birth), is the greatest act ever seen in human history. Christ’s humility will ultimately lead to His glory, higher than all others, and will be recognized by every person ever created. Jesus taking on human flesh is the beauty of the gospel and is the beauty of Christmas.

Every Christian is a new creation through Christ. We all have the ultimate goal of becoming more like Him in every part of who we are. That is why Christmas is such a celebration, because it commemorates the dawning of the world’s light and a true understanding of how to live by following Jesus. It is in the Light of Jesus that we find our satisfaction and hope.

Questions

• In what way does Jesus “consider others more important than Himself?”
• What are some ways that you can follow Christ’s example today?

Advent Prayers

• Pray that God will transform your perspective and attitude today.
• Pray for opportunities to be obedient and the clarity of mind to interpret when God is calling you to do something.

When the story of 18th century western church history is told, there are three names that simply must be included:  John and Charles Wesley and George Whitfield.  Growing up within the Church of England, these three men each came to a genuine faith in Christ later in life.  After their conversions, these men followed Christ in a radical way, spreading the knowledge of Christ to the common people.  These three men were some of the early fathers of American Evangelicalism because they had an interest in taking the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people wherever they were.  Instead of staying inside large stone cathedrals, these men took to the open air, holding outdoor revival meetings and church services where thousands were in attendance.  In a day before microphones and high tech audio/visual equipment, Whitfield alone preached to as many as 30,000 people in one audience!

Given their common threads, it is not a surprise that these men were friends and had a great deal of respect for each other’s ministry, even though they had some theological differences.  Charles Wesley wrote over 7,500 hymns in his lifetime.  Some of these hymns were incorporated into Whitfield’s open air revival meetings.  One of Wesley’s hymns that Whitfield used was a hymn Wesley titled, “Hark, How the Welkin Rings!”  (The word “welkin” means “vault of heavens”.)  This song had the same tune as another famous Wesley hymn, “Christ the Lord is Risen Today!”  Whitfield loved the song, but did not care for the opening line.  He changed the opening line to further connect this song with the birth of Christ.  His new first line was the now famous, “Hark the Herald Angels Sing!”  Whitfield made this change, but never asked his friend Wesley for permission to do so.  This outraged Wesley.  Even after Whitfield’s version grew in popularity and became very well know, Wesley refused to acknowledge or sing the Whitfield abridged version of his song.  Can you imagine that?  The author of one of the most famous Christmas songs ever written never sang it!  About 100 years later the tune was changed to the current form by Felix Mendelsson.

What are your Christmas traditions?  What do you do every year at Christmas time that you would be very upset if it changed?  For some it is the day and time that presents are opened.  For others it is the songs that you “should sing” in church or on Christmas Eve.  For others it is a particular service (and time) that must be attended or a particular passage of Scripture that must be the text for that service.  Whatever it is, there are somethings that just “have to happen” in order for it to be Christmas for you.  What happens if your form changes?  What happens if you open presents on Christmas day instead of Christmas Eve?  What happens if you sing “Manger Throne” instead of “Silent Night”?  What happens if the “wrong passage” is preached at the Christmas service?  If these changes happen, will you refuse to sing?

May we learn something from Wesley’s folly.  May we learn that most of the traditions we embrace today have evolved over time.  Santa Claus has not always been at the mall, Candles weren’t always a part of Christmas Eve services, and at one time, it was the “Welkin,” not the “Herald Angels” that were ringing/singing.  At one time, maybe the greatest Christmas hymn in existence today sounded like an Easter song to our modern ear.  The key is not the form, but the spirit behind it.  Whitfield and Mendelssohn improved Wesley’s hymn.  Is it possible that God might be using some of the changes in your Christmas worship celebrations to increase your soul’s rejoicing this season?  Don’t refuse to sing.  Join the angel chorus and worship Christ the new born King!

I have attached below the original lyrics of Wesley’s hymn, “Hark How the Welkin Rings!”

“Hark, how all the welkin rings,

“Glory to the King of kings;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!”

Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
Universal nature say,
“Christ the Lord is born to-day!”

Christ, by highest Heaven ador’d,
Christ, the everlasting Lord:
Late in time behold him come,
Offspring of a Virgin’s womb!

Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see,
Hail the incarnate deity!
Pleased as man with men to appear,
Jesus! Our Immanuel here!

Hail, the heavenly Prince of Peace!
Hail, the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
Risen with healing in his wings.

Mild He lays his glory by,
Born that man no more may die;
Born to raise the sons of earth;
Born to give them second birth.

Come, Desire of nations, come,
Fix in us thy humble home;
Rise, the woman’s conquering seed,
Bruise in us the serpent’s head.

Now display thy saving power,
Ruined nature now restore;
Now in mystic union join
Thine to ours, and ours to thine.

Adam’s likeness, Lord, efface;
Stamp Thy image in its place.
Second Adam from above,
Reinstate us in thy love.

Let us Thee, though lost, regain,
Thee, the life, the inner Man:
O! to all thyself impart,
Form’d in each believing heart.”

[The following devotional was written by Wildwood Community Church Student Pastor Jonathan Holmes and is a part of our 2014 Advent Devotional Guide.  We will be posting a devotional each day on this blog between November 30 – December 31, 2014.]

Christmas Belonging by Jonathan Holmes

Read:  Romans 6:16-23, 7:4, 14:7-8

Many people dream of total independence. They believe that they determine their own reality and belong entirely to themselves. The dreamers believe they are like birds flying in complete freedom because they aren’t  restricted by the path of others before them. With big eyes they spread their wings into the open air and dream of being totally independent from God and from man.

“But Jesus had a word for people who thought that way. He said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” But they responded, “We . . . have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” So Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin” (John 8:32-34).

The Bible gives no reality to fallen humans who are ultimately self-determining. There is no autonomy in the fallen world. We are governed by sin or governed by God. “You are slaves of the one whom you obey. . . . When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. . . . But now . . . you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God” (Romans 6:16, 20, 22).

Most of the time we are free to do what we want. But we are not free to want what we ought. For that we need a new power based on a divine purchase. The power is God’s. Which is why the Bible says, “Thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart” (Romans 6:17). God is the one who may “grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will” (2 Timothy 2:25-26)(Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die, John Piper 64-65).”

The divine purchase all began in the manger.  It was in the manger that our freedom began. The God-man, Jesus Christ, came to purchase our freedom not to give us autonomy from God, but to give us a new life spent in relationship with our Creator and Savior.

Question

• In what way does sin seek to enslave us?
• In what way are we free in Christ?

Advent Prayer

• Thank God for giving you freedom in Him.

[The following devotional was written by Wildwood Community Church Student Pastor Jonathan Holmes and is a part of our 2014 Advent Devotional Guide.  We will be posting a devotional each day on this blog between November 30 – December 31, 2014.]

Significance at Insignificant Places by Jonathan Holmes

Read:  Micah 5:2–5 (prophecy) & Luke 2:1–6 (fulfillment)

Bethlehem in Judah hardly even carried the rank or status of a country town. It was located about five miles southwest of Jerusalem. It was so small that in both Joshua 15 and Nehemiah 11, it is overlooked in the listing of cities in Judah. The wording in Micah 5:2, “small among the clans of Judah,” gives the impression of a village with the least amount of worldly significance. To say the least, Bethlehem was an insignificant place, but some incredibly significant things happened in Bethlehem.

It was in Bethlehem that David was called by King Saul and eventually went on to fight the giant Goliath. Even though small, some significant historical events happened in Bethlehem. The most significant being the birthplace of our Savior Jesus Christ.

When God sent His Son as a helpless little infant, there was no giant throne waiting for Him or huge celebration that all of Judah would attend. Jesus came to earth silently and humbly. He came to earth like every other human being, as a tiny baby. He was entirely dependent on loving and caring parents. God took on flesh not to show us how God should act in this world, but to show us how a man can live in humble obedience to God. God often chooses insignificant people and events to bring about His great purposes. God loves to show His strength through human weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). It does not matter whether you are an artist, scholar, athlete or writer; He is going to use you if you are willing to be obedient to Him.

Even when you think you are so insignificant and could never be used by God, He will use you. God values you even when the world sees you as insignificant.

Question

• Why do you think God would choose a place of no significant value to allow Christ to be born in?

Advent Prayers

• Ask God to help use the talents and abilities that He has given you to have impact for His kingdom.
• Thank God for His faithfulness in your life to use you, and for sending Christ into the world.

[The following devotional is a part of our 2014 Advent Devotional Guide.  We will be posting a devotional each day on this blog between November 30 – December 31, 2014.]

The Bully Buster by Mark Robinson

Read: Isaiah 9:6-7

Do you know any bullies?  People who take advantage of the weak and pick on the vulnerable?  Most playgrounds have them.  Some countries in the world are even ruled by one.  People have always longed for a day when there would be no more bullies in the world.  God promises in Isaiah 9:1-7 a time when the bullies will be defeated and peace will reign on the earth.  According to the Bible, this peace will be accomplished by a most peculiar leader.

In Isaiah 9, we see that from the land of Galilee (a small rural province in northern Israel that often drew the first attack from invading armies because of its northern exposure) a leader would emerge that would bring glory and peace to God’s people.  This leader would be a bully-buster who would establish peace on the earth.  Surprisingly, the leader who would quell the bullies would not be a bigger bully, but a child.  What a contrast!  This child, of course, was Jesus who would grow up and reveal Himself as Mighty God.  700 years after this prophecy was given (in Isaiah 9), Jesus would be born as a child, clothing Himself in humanity, to set in motion a plan to bring lasting peace to the earth.

What is amazing about reading this prophecy from Isaiah at Christmas time, though, is that the accomplishment of this prophecy has not yet fully taken place.  The gifts of Isaiah 9 are still wrapped under the Christmas tree of Christ’s second coming.  When Jesus returns to the earth at a future time, He will put an end to war and He will rule the world in peace.  One day war will cease, and the bullies will be stopped.  The One who was born a Child will return in glorious triumph and shine His light throughout our world.  That is one present I cannot wait to be unwrapped.

Questions:

• What is peace?  When Isaiah 9 says that Jesus is the “Prince of Peace” what do you think it means?

• Have you ever thought about the fact that Jesus will come to the earth again one day?  When He does, it will bring about everlasting peace for those who know Him!

Advent Prayers:

• Thank God for the promise of peace He has given for our future.

• Pray and ask God for this future peace to impact the way we live our lives and relate to one another today.